Yoga for Nervous System Support: Before and After the Mat

I don’t know about you, but I can clearly feel that this year is coming to an end.

First of all, the weather is changing. It feels more and more tempting to stay in bed a little longer in the morning!

Here in Jaipur, India, where I live, the coldest temperatures we experience are around 12°C at night and between 20°C and 25°C during the day, so I can’t really complain. :)

Still, I can feel the season changing, and I have already started looking back at the year. When I do, I sometimes notice a feeling of unease or anxiety appearing.

Time seems to pass so quickly. I start thinking about all the things I wish I had done, or could have done differently or better. Suddenly, so many thoughts begin moving through my mind.

I don’t know if it is because today is the full moon, but I can feel a particular intensity in my body. At times, it is difficult to manage.

When I experience this kind of agitation or restlessness, one of the most helpful things I can do is unroll my mat and practise yoga.

Yoga is much more than physical postures

Yoga is vast.

Many people still think that yoga is mainly about asana, the physical postures we practise on the mat. But yoga offers us so much more than movement or flexibility.

For me, yoga has become a way to come back to myself. It gives me tools to notice what is happening within me and to respond with more awareness.

When I feel restless, I often begin with a breathing practice such as Nadi Shodhana, or alternate nostril breathing. I use it as a gentle way to slow down and support my nervous system.

After that, I may sit for five minutes of meditation and simply focus on my breath. I am not necessarily trying to stop my thoughts. I am just allowing myself to notice my breathing and to return to it whenever my mind moves somewhere else.

Then I listen to what my body needs.

Sometimes I practise gentle Yin Yoga. Sometimes I stay in a long, deep stretch. On other days, I move intuitively and consciously, allowing my body to guide me towards the areas that need attention.

I often carry tension in my chest, shoulders and neck. Moving slowly and breathing into these places can feel as though I am giving my body permission to release some of what it has been holding.

A calming yoga practice does not need to be long

I don’t usually measure how much time I spend on my mat.

Sometimes my practice lasts ten minutes. Sometimes it lasts fifteen minutes, and sometimes it is longer. It depends on how I feel and what I have the capacity for that day.

This is something I find important to remember. A yoga practice does not need to be long, physically demanding or perfectly structured to be meaningful.

Sometimes we may avoid practising because we think we need a full hour, a complete sequence or enough energy to do everything “properly.” But a few minutes of conscious breathing and gentle movement can already create a shift in how we feel.

I also love playing soft Yin Yoga music or soothing chants while I practise. The sound helps me create a quiet space where I can reconnect with myself.

There is no pressure to perform. There is nowhere else I need to be for those few moments. I can simply listen.

Yoga for Nervous System Support

The nervous system constantly receives information from our internal and external environments.

When life feels overwhelming, our thoughts may accelerate, our breathing may become shorter and our muscles may tighten. We may feel restless, anxious or unable to settle, even when there is no immediate problem to solve.

Yoga cannot remove every difficulty from our lives. It cannot make uncomfortable emotions disappear or prevent stressful experiences from happening.

However, practices such as slow breathing, meditation and gentle conscious movement may help us change how we meet what is happening inside us.

Research suggests that yoga and slow breathing practices may support stress regulation and influence aspects of autonomic nervous system activity. This is the part of the nervous system involved in processes that happen automatically, such as breathing, digestion and heart rate.

This does not mean that one yoga practice will solve everything. It means that, with time and consistency, yoga may give us another way to respond when we feel overwhelmed.

Our nervous system does not function separately from the rest of the body. When stress becomes persistent, it may also affect sleep, digestion, energy and the menstrual cycle.

Stress can be one of many factors associated with irregular or missing periods, including hypothalamic amenorrhea.

Yoga can offer meaningful support for women experiencing amenorrhea or hormonal imbalances. Gentle practices may allow the nervous system to settle while supporting rest, recovery and overall hormonal health. However, yoga on its own is not a guaranteed treatment, and every woman’s situation and the causes of her missing periods may be different.

For me, yoga and Ayurveda, these two beautiful traditions rooted in a deeper understanding of life, have helped me reconnect with myself. For a long time, I was far away from what my body was asking for. I was always focused on doing, achieving and adding one more thing to my list. Do more, do better, keep going, and then do even more.

But the truth is that we are part of nature. Nature moves through cycles of activity and rest, growth and stillness. We are not meant to be productive all the time. What would happen if, instead of constantly asking ourselves what we should do next, we allowed ourselves simply to be?

This is something I am still learning and practising in my daily life. Even now, while I am working, I try to take a short break approximately every half hour. It may only be five minutes, but I use that time to walk around, stretch, breathe deeply or notice what is happening in my body.

These small pauses help me come back to myself before tension and tiredness build up. They remind me that rest does not have to wait until the end of the day, the weekend or the next holiday. We can create small moments of rest within an ordinary day.

For someone who has spent years pushing through exhaustion or ignoring the body’s signals, slowing down may initially feel uncomfortable. It may even feel unproductive. But learning to listen is part of rebuilding trust with the body.

Yoga has taught me that supporting the nervous system is not only about what happens during a formal practice. It is also about how we move through our day, how often we pause, how we speak to ourselves and whether we allow ourselves to rest without guilt.

If you are curious about how traditional systems look at this connection, you can also read my article on an Ayurvedic perspective on the menstrual cycle.

Not every practice needs intensity

When I am already feeling agitated, I don’t always need a powerful or intense yoga class.

Sometimes my body needs the opposite.

It may need slower movements, longer pauses and permission to rest. It may need me to stop forcing and start listening.

This is why practices such as Yin Yoga, restorative yoga, Yoga Nidra, breathing exercises and meditation can be so valuable. They invite us to move away from constant effort. If you would like to explore one of them more deeply, you can read my guide to Yoga Nidra for stress.

This can be particularly important for women who are accustomed to pushing themselves, exercising intensely or feeling guilty when they slow down.

Rest is not the absence of practice. Sometimes, rest is the practice.

The right yoga practice will not look the same every day. What supports us during a high-energy period may not be what we need when we are exhausted, emotionally overwhelmed or recovering from a stressful experience.

The practice begins when we ask ourselves honestly:

What do I need today?

The difference before and after the mat

Throughout my life, and through teaching yoga to many different students, I have seen the difference in people’s faces before and after a practice.

Someone may arrive looking tired, tense or distracted. Their shoulders are lifted, their jaw is tight and their mind seems to be somewhere else.

After the practice, something often looks different.

Their face appears softer. Their breathing seems slower. Their shoulders have dropped. Sometimes they speak more gently. Sometimes they simply sit quietly for a moment before leaving.

The contrast can be remarkable.

I notice the same change in myself. I often feel like a different person when I step off my mat.

My external circumstances may not have changed. My responsibilities are still there, and the thoughts that were worrying me may not have completely disappeared.

But something inside me has shifted.

There is often a little more space between me and my thoughts. I feel more present in my body and better able to decide what needs my attention.

For me, this is one of the most powerful aspects of yoga for stress relief. The practice does not necessarily change the world around us, but it may change the way we experience and respond to it.

A simple 10-minute practice for stress and restlessness

If you are feeling agitated or disconnected from yourself, you can try this short calming yoga practice.

1. Arrive on your mat

Sit or lie down in a comfortable position.

Notice the parts of your body that are touching the floor. Allow yourself a few moments to arrive without trying to change anything.

2. Observe your natural breathing

Place one hand on your chest and the other on your abdomen.

Notice the natural rhythm of your breath. There is no need to take the deepest possible breath. Simply allow your breathing to become a little slower and softer.

3. Practise Nadi Shodhana

If alternate nostril breathing is comfortable and familiar to you, practise it gently for a few minutes.

Avoid holding or forcing your breath. If the practice makes you feel uncomfortable or lightheaded, return to normal breathing.

4. Move slowly

Roll your shoulders, gently move your neck or come into a comfortable Child’s Pose.

You can also choose one or two Yin Yoga postures that feel supportive. Move according to your own body rather than trying to achieve a particular shape.

5. Rest

Finish by lying down for a few minutes.

Notice whether anything feels different from when you first arrived. The change may be subtle. You do not have to feel completely calm for the practice to have been worthwhile.

Yoga is one tool among many

Yoga has been one of the most supportive tools in my own life, but it is not the only way to care for the nervous system.

Therapy, somatic practices, spending time in nature, listening to music, connecting with supportive people and receiving appropriate medical care can all be valuable.

Everyone is different. What helps one person may not feel right for another.

Yoga should not become another obligation or another way to judge ourselves. It is not about doing everything perfectly.

It is an invitation to pay attention.

For me, it has been one of the best remedies during periods when my thoughts feel loud and my body feels unsettled. It helps me return to something quieter within myself.

My anchor in a noisy world

I feel deeply grateful for all the teachers I have met and for everything they have shared with me over the years.

I continue to learn and use different resources to maintain and deepen my knowledge of yoga. There is always more to discover.

At the same time, we live in a world filled with information, pressure and constant stimulation. So many things compete for our attention and pull us away from our sense of peace.

Yoga has become my anchor.

It helps me return to my breath, my body and the present moment. It reminds me that I do not always have to follow every thought or react immediately to every feeling.

Sometimes I simply need to unroll my mat, breathe and listen.

The shift may not always be dramatic. Sometimes it is only a small softening in the shoulders, a slower breath or a little more space in the mind.

But sometimes, that small shift is exactly what we need.

Would you like to experience a gentle practice?

If you would like to explore another gentle way to rest and reconnect with your body, you can try my free Yoga Nidra practice.

Yoga Nidra is a guided practice that invites the body to rest while awareness moves gently through different areas of the body. You do not need any previous yoga experience, flexibility or special equipment.

You can access the practice through my Free First-Step Kit, together with supportive resources created to help you slow down and begin listening to your body.

A small note

This article is based on my personal experience as a yoga teacher and is intended for educational purposes. Yoga may support well-being, but it is not a substitute for medical diagnosis, treatment or mental health care. If you are experiencing persistent anxiety, missing periods or other health concerns, please speak with a qualified healthcare professional.

What Changes Before and After You Step on the Mat?